Max falls asleep in the office the next morning.

It's Wednesday, Max's least favorite day because for some reason he always decides to get drunk or high or something the day before and then he's hungover.

It's a pattern he didn't even mean to start.

So he falls asleep in the office, because being hungover has a serious toll on him. It makes him want to shut the world out and when he shuts the world out he falls asleep.

Wednesday is also one of the days Barnes walks Lauren to her first class. Max doesn't know their schedule but he knows that they always walk her on Wednesdays.

Which is even more of a reason to hate Wednesdays.

Ugh.

He passes out on the small couch, his leg hanging off the side and his head resting on one of his arms, his other one blocking out the lights that seriously hurt his head.

He's awoken when someone hits him with a pillow.

"Ah!" He jumps up and backs into the couch, looking for whoever dared to disturb his slumber.

He finds the culprit with her arms crossed over her gigantic chest and a smug smile on her face. Lauren. Lauren has dared to disturb his slumber.

He narrows his eyes and his nostrils flair. He grasps the arms of the couch tighter than necessary.

"I volunteered to wake you up." She says with a conceited look on her face.

Max growls and begins looking around.

"Where are my crutches?" He wonders aloud.

They are handed to him and he doesn't give a shit by who. He just needs them.

He makes his way to a standing position and looks around. His eyes eventually adjust enough to make out Barnes and Lauren.

Ew.

He then begins registering the insane amount of light in here. "Ow..." he rests his head against his arm. "Why is it so bright in here...?"

"Come on, we need to go." He hears Barnes' voice and he looks up to see them walking out of the office. What the fuck? He doesn't want to go anywhere besides home.

Reluctantly, he follows them all the way to her class. Of course, he is glaring at their clasped hands again. Max seriously wants her hand to catch on fire so that they will separate.

They do their stupid goodbye and they make it short so that Max and Barnes aren't late. At least, this time.

It's before they make it to the last block that they are late. Though this time it's not because of Lauren.

It's because of Max.

They are walking down the hallway, away from math and Max hears something that he wishes he didn't.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not leaving my brother."

It's Zeke. That's Zeke's voice, Max can recognize it anywhere.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Max doesn't know that voice. It sounds authorative though, and Max realizes that they were walking past Coach's office. But that's not Coach's voice. Max is so confused he stumbles into the wall beside him.

At first Barnes is asking him why he stopped, but when he catches the look on Max's face he begins listening too.

"I'm not leaving Max."

Max doesn't know what's happening, but he is practically glued to his spot beside the ajar door. It doesn't sound good, that much he can tell. And he is seriously considering minding his own business and walking away.

"Trust me, you don't want to give this up. Especially not for him. I get he's family, but this is your future." The very official voice says from behind the door and Max slightly peeks in. Only for a few seconds, so that they don't notice him.

A guy in a dress shirt and slacks is sitting in Coach's chair. Coach's chair. Max immediately doesn't like him. Zeke is standing in the middle of the room and Max guesses that Zeke didn't want to sit down because Max can tell that he's not happy.

Everyone in the hallway is leaking into their final classes and Max seriously can't move.

"I don't care. Max is my future, and I'm not leaving him for a football scholarship."

"Zeke."

Max is captivated, and he doesn't know why.

"Don't call me Zeke, that's reserved for people I like. The only way I'll go to your college is if Max can too."

Max's eyes are wide and he's holding his breath. He's staring at the wall opposite him and he may not be very smart, but he knows what's happening here. And he doesn't like it.

"Your brother doesn't really even have much of a future! I'm sorry to say, but we've looked into it, believe me. He has unfit grades and multiple disabilities. Our school isn't made for people like-"

"Don't speak of him like that." Zeke's voice has raised an octave and Max realizes that everything this man just said is true.

"Don't let him hold you back."

Max's breathing is shaky and he's blinking rapidly and he has heard enough. He finally gains control of his limbs- though it is very hard, he really has to fight the part of him that wants to continue listening. The very self destructive part of him that doesn't want him to leave.

He completely forgets about Barnes and takes off on his crutches. He doesn't know where he is going, but he somehow ends up in the boys bathroom and he throws his crutches to the side and collapses on the floor.

He pulls his legs up to his chest and buries his face into them and closes his eyes.

He's holding Zeke back.

Max almost wants to scream and cry and throw shit, but he's better than that. Kinda.

He shakes his head and hears someone come in behind him. He doesn't look up and instead just backs himself up into the wall and closes his eyes tighter.

He's pissed.

Max can put the peices together. He'd heard enough to know exactly what just happened. Zeke was offered a scholarship, an obviously very good scholarship, but he turned it down.

So that he can stay with Max. They both know that if they go to different colleges, they will grow further apart. And that's Max's worst nightmare.

Zeke is his rock. And Max is holding him back.

Zeke can honestly do great things. Max firmly believes that Zeke could go into pro football if he wanted to. Zeke is that good.

Zeke could get a good education and make a great future for himself. Become successful as fuck and have a nice life.

And Max is holding him back.

His grip on his jeans tightens and he lifts his head up, staring at the ceiling. He catches a glimpse of who had come in behind him and realizes that it's Barnes.

Oh-fucking-well.

He decides to handle everything that he is feeling the only way he knows how to handle anything.

"Can I have my bag?" He asks, turning his head to look at the bag resting in Barnes' arms. Max can't meet his eyes.

The bag is handed to him and he begins digging through it. Eventually he finds the few things he was looking for.

Max pulls out a bottle of pain killers (maybe he's hoping it will cure emotional pain, too), his lighter (he doesn't even have anything to smoke, he just likes fire, it calms him down), and his bottle of whiskey.

He kicks his bag to the side and is about to unscrew the cap on the whiskey when someone grabs his hand.

Max realizes that his hand is shaking - his whole body is shaking - and he's biting his lip so hard that he tastes blood.

"Let go of my fucking hand, Barnes."

The bottle is taken out of his hand, and the pain killers and lighter are also confiscated. Max watches Barnes take it all and set it in one of the sinks.

And Max is pissed.

"If I knew you'd take that out, I wouldn't have given you the bag."

Max watches Barnes sit down with his legs criss-crossed in front of him, still holding Max's wrist.

Max is still shaking and he grits his teeth. He's unclenching and clenching his jaw and he just wants to forget.

He wants to handle this like he handles everything. Intoxication.

Max finally, reluctantly, looks up to meet Barnes' eyes, scared to death of what he'll find. He's met with a smug look on Barnes' face, and his eyebrow raised.

Max. Is. Pissed.

"Let me get drunk off my ass before I get even more pissed off, Barnes." Max's voice cracks and he closes his eyes, tight.

"No, I don't think that's very healthy."

Max growls, "don't tell me what's healthy."

Barnes shrugs, looking at Max. "You know what I've noticed?"

Max continues glaring, "What?"

"You replace a lot of your emotions with anger."

And Max gets angrier. "That's because a lot of shit makes me angry - you included! I want to kick your ass most of the time you talk!"

"What else makes you angry?"

Max doesn't miss a beat, glowering at Barnes. "Lauren."

"What about Lauren?"

"Wha- She's a fucking bitch!"

"How is she a fucking bitch?"

Max goes rigid. Gulping and realizing the fact that he needs to start analyzing the things he says to Barnes. Somehow the boy always turns Max's words against him and it's total bullshit. Still, he can't help himself, Barnes cursing is like a damn drug. "S-say that again."

He hears chuckling and opens one of his eyes. Barnes is looking at him with a very amused look. "How is she a fucking bitch?"

Max hums, before what happened catches up with him. Honestly, Barnes is not helping this situation at all. He grabs his hair and looks up to see that Barnes is looking at him with the same amused look.

He drops one of his hands and points at Barnes. "You're not allowed to cuss anymore!" He shouts, his brows furrowed and his heart beating erratically.

"Why not?" Barnes asks, smirking. Max wants to punch him.

Max sits up and drops his arms into his lap. He glares at Barnes before growling, "I think you know why."

Another thing he regrets telling Barnes.

Barnes acts like he has no clue what Max is talking about. "Why, I have no idea."

Max lunges at him, pinning Barnes' wrists beside his head. Barnes is looking at him, smug as ever, and Max's eye twitches. "I believe I may have told you while I was shit-faced drunk."

Barnes gives him a lopsided smile, "doesn't ring a bell."

Max's grip on Barnes' wrists tightens, and he leans forward so that their foreheads are touching.

He's about to tell Barnes why - using his exact wording from yesterday. But then he realizes that Barnes is an asshole and will likely repeat him just to fuck with him, so he tries to keep his response PG.

"Because I find it at- attractive, and I'm not supposed to find it attractive. Happy?"

Hah! Good job Max, you didn't swear for once.

Barnes' lopsided smile turns devious as he straightens up so that his face is level with Max's. "And why aren't you supposed to find it attractive?"

So, thank god, Barnes didn't curse. But their closeness still fucks with Max's head. His breathing stutters at their close proximity.

"B-because..." of course, Max's eyes are dazed and he isn't breathing right and he's shaking and he's staring at Barnes' lips.

"U-uh..." he's seriously not okay and when he realizes that he's leaning in and their lips aren't that far apart (he's pretty sure) then he's really not okay.

And Barnes is letting this happen.

Max - somehow - gathers it within himself to finally get the strength to pull away from Barnes and squeak, "because you have a girlfriend! And I'm not attracted to you anyways!"

Barnes' eyes widen for a second and Max realizes that, like him, Barnes had completely forgotten about Lauren.

Well shit.

"I think that we should head to class." Barnes stands up and Max is seriously not doing good.

"... no, I'm gonna drink. And forget about everything that has happened today. Including this exchange."

Barnes glares at him. "I'm supposed to be getting you to your classes and stuff. Leaving you in here to get wasted isn't part of the agreement."

Max stumbles up and leans against the wall, now standing right in front of Barnes. "Well fuck the agreement! I'm not doing okay and I feel like fucking myself up, so that's what I'm gonna do."

Barnes glares at him and one look at those green eyes makes Max finally give in.

"Whatever, I'll get trashed later."

Barnes doesn't look like he agrees with that either, but Max decides that he doesn't give a shit. So he grabs his crutches and gives all of his shit to Barnes, and then they both make their way to finish the last twenty minutes of school.